Uncategorized – Page 15 – DISPATCHES FROM THE VOID

Overkill, Crowbar, Havok and Black Fast at Come and Take It Live, Austin, TX, 9/19/2017

The Wrecking Crew. They’ll wreck your necks, indeed.

Even if a great majority of the population of our country doesn’t even know who these guys exist, Overkill are a goddamn national treasure. There hasn’t been a metal band going over the past 30 years that puts this amount of energy and animation into a live performance. Vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth is firmly in the category of truly legendary frontmen in metal. His vocal delivery is not of a Dickinsonian or Halford-esque level, but the stage presence he brings to every show is irrepressible. From the wide array of hand gestures and poses to the ever-present mischievous cackle to the wise-ass New Jersey brand of sass and “fuck you” attitude, Ellsworth is the ultimate lovable heavy metal scamp. This version of the band is also simply a machine. You’ve got longtime bassist, DD Verni, holding down the foundation with guitarist Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer supplying a blistering amount of thrash riffs overtop. The addition of new drummer Jason Bittner has added a bit of new thunder to the sound as well. The set list was a fairly even blending of newer material off the past few albums with classics such as Rotten To the Core, I Hate, Hello From the Gutter, Horrorscope and Elimination. Go see these guys if you haven’t before. I guarantee a good time will be had.

Supporting the Mean, Green Killing Machine was New Orleans sludgelords, Crowbar, up-and-coming thrash outfit from Denver, Havok, and a thrash/speed band out of St. Louis, Black Fast.

Crowbar are another of these bands that are just an institution at this point. Thick and meaty Sabbathian riffs provided a nice counter balance to speed of the other thrash bands on the bill. Ever since Kirk Windstein dropped out of Down to refocus full-time on Crowbar, they have been very consistent in delivering top-notch sludge metal. This evening was everything that you would expect out of an abbreviated set.

Havok is definitely a band of the upswing in the metal world as evidenced by the raucous reaction the crowd gave these dudes. Maybe I’m having a get off my lawn moment and showing my age a bit, but I still think these guys have some ripening to do. There is definitely talent in this band, but their sound still feel a bit too derivative of past bands. I keep hearing Bonded by Blood by Exodus playing in my head whenever I hear Havok play. It just feels like we’ve heard these songs before. Keep plugging, guys. I think you’ve got monumental potential.

Overkill-Rotten To the Core

Overkill-Wrecking Crew

Overkill-Ironbound

Crowbar-Walk With Knowledge Wisely

Havok-Unnatural Selection

Mogwai-Every Country’s Sun

The first time I heard of Mogwai I though to myself, “Aw, that’s cute. Someone named their band after that little kid from Jungle Book.” I think it was years until I realized that it was Mogwai and not Mowgli. Sometimes I ain’t too swift on the uptick. Whatever. Mogwai/Mowgli; to-MAY-to/to-MAH-to. And yes, I do know that Mogwai is the little fur ball from Gremlins

Anyway, I digress. I’ve been kind of a fan from afar of these guys. They are a nice listen when you’re in a somewhat introspective chill sort of mood. Cool instrumentations and a spacey/spooky vibe is generally what you can expect out of these Scottish lads.

The new album doesn’t really provide any surprises. It’s solid. Not great, but solid. The sound is more in the vein of a post-pop rock sort of vein. I was kind of hoping for some more goosebump-type moments than I received. Anyway, if you’re a fan of this band, you’re probably going to enjoy it just fine. That’s really about all I have to say here.

Oh, and Mogwai is Cantonese for evil spirit. I Wikipedia’d that shit.

3 flip flops out of 5

Arch Enemy-Will To Power

So, we’ve got album number two in the era of Alyssa White-Gluz as frontwoman and first album with guitar hero Jeff Loomis in the fold for the long-standing melodic death metal institution, Arch Enemy. When White-Gluz first came on as vocalist, I was pretty excited about it because she had a really nice track record during her years with The Agonist. She has as powerful a death growl as any dude in the game. However, I really found War Eternal, the first album Arch Enemy put out with her on the mic, to be very lackluster. It was just a paint-by-numbers affair and just didn’t seem very inspired musically. So, it was with somewhat subdued expectations that I approached the newest release.

My expectation levels dropped even further when I read an interview with lead songwriter, Michael Arnott, that said that Jeff Loomis did not contribute any songwriting to the new album and that he only contributed guitar solos. Loomis has been a long time favorite of mine from his days in Nevermore and I had really hoped to see what a full Arnott/Loomis collaboration would look like. I was really disappointed to hear that Loomis was going to be nothing more than a hired gun during the creative process.

Well, I’m starting to wonder how much of a part my expectation levels end up playing on my final impressions of an album after listening to it a few times. As outlined, my expectations on this one were pretty low. And, after giving it a fair shake, I can say that I am pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

You’ve got a solidly written and professionally executed slab of infectious death metal tunes that really have an inspirational tone throughout most of the songs. This positive outlook is honestly kind of refreshing for a death metal band. You’ve got quite a few anthems about empowerment and staying true to one’s nature in light of outside pressures. I have a feeling that a lot of the lyrical content comes from White-Gluz’s experiences in establishing herself as a frontwoman in a field of music that has traditionally be the realm of men. Musically, Arnott has stepped up his game in a very large manner. Whereas War Eternal felt generic and dated, Will To Power has some very inventive and infectious riffs throughout.

This is a solid addition to the Arch Enemy discography. Now, let’s just hope Arnott opens up to some collaborations with Loomis next time out.

4 flip flops out of 5

Akercocke-Renaissance In Extremis

Akercocke is another of these bands that are releasing a new album after a long period of inactivity. I entirely missed this band on their first era and, from what I tell online, they were kind of known for being the black metal group who performed in dapper suits. Which is weird. I mean, isn’t part of the appeal of being a professional metal musician the perk of not having to wear a suit during your gig? Dudes just seem to be doing it all wrong.

Anyway, moving on to the music and the new album. Not having been versed in their back catalog, this newest release is really kind of all over the place. Musically, it is fairly straightforward and tends to reside in the progressive thrash area. However, it seems like each song has enough variance into some gloomy/gothic passages to keep things from getting staid and repetitive. The musicianship of the band is probably the most impressive thing about the album.

However, I think the thing that really keeps this album from elevating from a run-of-the-mill release into something more substantial are the vocals. Vocally, this thing is really a grab bag across the gamut of metal vocal styles. You’ve got the deep guttural death metal growl. You’ve got the shrieking black metal screech. You’ve got the weirdly emotive gothic-tinged clean vocals. You’ve even got some hearty thrash-style yelling. It’s just all over the place and it just makes the entire album just seem uneven. I understand the blending of styles and many bands strike a nice balance between clean and death style vocals. But, this random cluster of vocal styles just didn’t quite serve the material very well.

3 flip flops out of 5

Paradise Lost-Medusa

It looks like one of the long-standing doom bands just decided to show all of the up-and-coming and bandwagon jumping doom bands how it is done. Paradise Lost has been at this game for a very long time and this new album makes a definite statement.

The past couple of albums from these guys have been absolute masterpieces. After spending a few years in the late 90s where they seemingly lost their way with some gothic synth-pop stylings, Paradise Lost has since regrouped into one of the more consistent bands going. Whereas the last couple of albums has had a bit more of an up-tempo (well, at least up-tempo for doom) foundation, Medusa sees the band slowing things back down into dirge territory. It’s almost as if they have heard the past couple of Pallbearer albums and said, “That’s nice, but let me show you youngsters how this shit is done.” There are no light moments on this one as evidenced by tracks like From the Gallows, The Endless Winter and Until the Grave. Nick Holmes’ vocals on this one strike a nice balance between clean and growl.

These guys are just one of the class acts going. Give this one a listen.

Inanimate Existence-Underneath a Melting Sky

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Inanimate Existence is another one of those super technical death metal bands trying desperately to distinguish themselves from the great rabble of sound-alike bands that populate this sub-genre. My first exposure to them was 2014’s A Never-ending Cycle of Atonement and while that album was technically impressive, there just wasn’t enough to make any of the songs on that album really stand out in any memorable manner. I had honestly kind of forgotten about this band until seeing this latest release pop up on the calendar. I’m pleasantly surprised to say that I think these guys have latched onto something cool that will hopefully raise the band’s profile.

This album sees the lineup reformed into the ultimate power trio and it’s a massive amount of sound that these guys produce. Whereas their past work was more of an onslaught of never-ending blast beats and pummeling riffs, it seems as though the guys decided to pull back on the reigns a bit on this new offering. The result is a slower-paced album that contains much more dynamics and interesting sidebars that elevate the songs as a whole. Granted, this is still brutal death metal, but there are some really cool acoustic passages and some sort of jazz-fusion bits mixed in to the basic foundation of the death metal for which they are known. The songs are better served with these additions. I really like the direction, guys. Keep exploring these avenues.

3 flip flops out of 5

The Haunted-Strength in Numbers

The latest offering from Sweden’s The Haunted just feels lived-in and comfortable. I mean that as a compliment. The album just feels like that moment when you walk through the door of your house at the end of a long day at work. It’s just that “Ahhhh” moment of relief. There isn’t anything on this latest album that is going to jar you or make you work for the payoff. This is straightforward Gothenberg style melodic death metal and it just hits in all the right places. If you dig your guitar riffs crunchy and aggressive, dig on in. This sucker has riff after riff after riff.

I was kind of curious to see if The Haunted would continue as an entity after the resurrection of At The Gates a couple of years ago. It looks like At The Gates’ rhythm section has decided to pull double duty and is still laying down the foundation for The Haunted. I’m glad they did because this album is a pleasant surprise for the latter half of 2017.

Check out the Lamb of God flavored track below for a taste.

3.5 flip flops out of 5

Inter Arma at Mohawk, Austin, August 30, 2017

Hard to categorize, these lads are. Little bit of doom, little bit of stoner, little bit of southern psychedelia, little bit of black metal. Put them all in a fuzzy, flanneled package and you’ve got Richmond, Virginia’s Inter Arma.

I’ve been waiting to see these guys do their thing live for some time now. I sadly missed their first stop in Austin last year during the tour cycle for their latest album, Paradise Gallows. So, I was downright giddy when they set another date in town for the summer. OK…maybe giddy is not the right word. But, I was really looking forward to it.

These guys are never going to have any sort of cross-over appeal to a mainstream crowd. Their songs just scream agony, but agony presented in a very hypnotic manner. Seeing them at the inside stage at Mohawk with around 50-60 people in attendance seemed like the perfect setting. It was dark. It was up close. It was perfect.

You just have to admire people who are as uncompromising in their art to not really concern themselves with reaching huge numbers of people. I mean, sure, I’m certain they would love a larger crowd. But, seeing this band perform live leads me to believe that this music is just something that has to come out of these guys. I think this music is more for them than it is for us. If anyone out there catches the vibe and wants to follow along, all the better.

A sample of the anguish:

Transfiguration

Steven Wilson-To The Bone

Yes, I know this isn’t metal. Settle down.

There are a lot of people out there that can’t stand prog rock/metal. I have a bit of a theory as to why. Prog is not easy. It seems like the best prog albums don’t click the first time through. It seems like I downright hated a great many of the albums that I consider monuments in the prog universe the first time I listened to them. A good prog album is challenging. It goes where the listener may not be accustomed to going or to places that feel uncomfortable. It’s not an easily digestible form of art. Plus, there are generally a shitload of keyboards…which scares the piss out of true metalheads.

Steven Wilson is one of the planet’s true musical treasures. I put his songwriting right up there with the pinnacles of rock musicians. In many ways, he is our generation’s McCartney. I know…bold fucking statement, huh? Well, go back through his catalog of solo and Porcupine Tree material and tell me that we aren’t in the presence of one of the greats. The sad fact, however, is that a great majority of the pop music listening people out there have no clue this guy even exists.

So, each album this guy puts out is a bit of a challenge. Where is he going this time out? Rumor around the tubes is that he was going to focus his efforts in to constructing a pop album. I’m not the biggest pop music fan, so this news gave me a bit of pause. And, honestly, the first impression that I had upon hearing the album all the way through was “Meh. You’re better than that, Wilson.”

This gets us back to the nature of prog music. It challenges. I went back and somewhat unenthusiastically gave the album a couple of more listens. And you know what? This is a subtle emotional gut punch of an album. Wilson’s entire solo career really reminds me of the late era Beatles where they just didn’t give a shit. They experimented. Not all of it worked, but the moments when it did were simply magical. This album is full of magic.

Musically, this new platter sounds a bit like the mellower moments from Porcupine Tree (think Stupid Dream) and his solo material. I hear a lot of Radiohead coming through. Maybe even some of the lighter Nine Inch Nails material. The title track, People Who Eat Darkness and Detonation could all be on early Porcupine Tree albums. You’ve even got a dance track in Permanating (his self-described Abba moment).

So, what I saying is: give this one some time. Put on some candles, lay your head back and let this one gently melt into your subconscious. This is a keeper.

I’m including the track Pariah, which is one of the stand out tracks on the album, and features a woman singer named Ninet Tayeb. I had never heard of her before this song, but WOW. Such an amazing voice. If this song doesn’t tear your emotional guts out, you probably don’t have a pulse.

I’ve also included a short interview that Wilson did on a BBC morning show. This will give you a sense of where this guy’s head is musically and his take on what prog and pop music are.

4.5 flip flops out of 5

Decapitated at Come and Take It Live, Austin, TX, 8/26/2017

So, I braved the wind and rain of Hurricane Harvey and a nasty bout of strep throat to bring this little review to you. Granted, Austin didn’t take near the beating the coast and Houston took, but it was still downright ugly out on Saturday night.

Also on the bill this evening were Thy Art Is Murder, Fallujah and Ghost Bath. Sadly, I only managed to catch the midway point of Thy Art Is Murder’s set due to feeling very poorly in the lead up to the show. I’ve never been a big fan of these guys, but from what I witnessed, they put on a fairly competent set (full of breakdowns) and their boisterous fans seemed to dig what they were throwing down (said monstrous amounts of breakdowns).

Alas, I was really at this show to see the headliner. I love, love, love these guys. The Polish Lamb of God. Death metal mixed with a nice little groove. Guitarist Vogg is just one of the top-notch guitarists going in this genre. You can just tell that he spent a good chunk of his childhood listening to the first couple of Pantera albums. Live, drummer Michal Lysejko is just a machine and really seems to be growing as a driving force in this band.

Here are some samples:

Kill This Cult